Men are catching up. Little boys playing with unrealistically muscular action figures struggle with the same inadequacies girls have felt playing with Barbies. When Sean Connery and Roger Moore were James Bond, their bodies weren’t very different from male fans. Today few guys feel comfy strolling out of the ocean in tiny blue trunks like those sported by the current Bond –– ripped-to-shreds Daniel Craig.
Maybe it’s gender equity’s unexpected side effect. Women have been obsessing over their figures for generations. Today men are often equally self critical. As one study points out, when social pressure to attain an “ideal” physique increases, so does the distance between that ideal and one’s own body. Beginning in middle school, most boys report hitting the gym to build their muscles. Diet and exercise can’t alter genetics. If you’re unhappy with your reflection, a host of body-contouring options promise to succeed where weights and protein powders fail. What are they, and, most importantly, can they really change your body for the better?
Get Sculpted
There are lots of nonsurgical methods to demolish your belly bulge. One of the most novel methods actually freezes it. Don’t worry, you won’t be preserving it for later. Fatsicles aren’t a thing –– yet. Instead cryolipolysis, or CoolSculpting, vacuums the desired portion of unwanted fat into an applicator. While a gel pad protects your skin, temperatures within the applicator plummet. The region grows numb –– you’ll be awake the whole time, able to check your posts or watch TV. Although it will take up to six months before the injured fat cells are completely eliminated, you’ll be able to resume normal activity right after the procedure. Some patients experience soreness but the risk is low. Best of all, the bulge you hate will disappear –- the average fat reduction is 20%.
If you can’t stand the cold, then how about a hot laser? Laser lipolysis takes about the same time as an average sitcom. SculptSure and similar techniques shoot a laser directly at the fat cells targeted for removal. While your other cells are unharmed, your fat will be killed. It takes about three months to see the full results, but as with CoolSculpt, there’s no downtime afterward. You may be a bit sore in the targeted area, but it’s a low-risk, non surgical procedure. In one study, the majority of participants saw a reduction of at least three Inches off their combined waist-hips-thighs circumference when using a red diode, low-level laser for fat removal.
Get Drained
More common for facial contouring, using a lymphatic drainage massage might help men shape their bodies. This massage encourages movement of lymph fluids around the body. The belief is that the fluid in the lymphatic system which helps remove waste and toxins from bodily tissues can build up. First used in South American countries like Brazil and Columbia, it is a popular way to recover from surgery. It may also help reduce bulges around the waistline.
Tone That Jaw
While men in the 1940s probably weren’t hoping to have Cary Grant’s abs, they may have envied his jawline. Just as abdominal fat is partly the hand you’re dealt at birth, a flabby jawline is often resistant to diet and exercise. Although the above body sculpting techniques work on your jawline as well, the Kybella injectable is specifically designed for that extra fat around your upper neck. It is the only FDA-approved injectable drug for the reduction of submental fat –– that stubborn fat that lingers around your jawline even if your body mass index is low. One study called it, “an exciting addition to our noninvasive tool box in the area of focal fat reduction.”
Injection lipolysis like Kybella relies on deoxycholic acid to kill your fat cells. A local anesthesia is used, but afterward you can go about your normal life. You may have some bruising and swelling but should see results in less than two months. Many patients repeat the procedure several times.
If you don’t want killer chemicals injected into your fat, how about radio waves? Over a 30-minute period, radio frequencies are sent through an applicator. Held just a centimeter from the fat target, it heats up the cells. Radiofrequency lipolysis doesn’t require anesthesia, and you’ll be able to get back to your life right after it’s over. Results are mixed –– everything from a two-inch reduction to no visible change.
Build some muscles
Better than weeks at the gym, EmSculpt can tone up your butt or abs painlessly. FDA-approved, this device forces targeted muscles to contract 20,000 times. Because it also eliminates lactic acid build up, the agonizing burn you might get from such a colossal workout isn’t a factor. It sounds crazy, but analyzing MRI scans of some 22 test subjects, researchers discovered that they enjoyed simultaneous muscle growth, fat reduction, and reduced abdominal separation at both two-month and six-month intervals after the treatment. Diet was not considered a factor in their results.
Under the knife
Probably the most drastic but most common body contouring procedure is liposuction. It’s ideal for men who are slightly overweight or are unhappy with nonsurgical procedures. Using a tube called a cannula, a vacuum sucks the fat right out of your body. A new twist is a procedure called lipo etching. This takes fat from atop the muscle, giving you that six-pack you’ve always dreamed of.
Conclusion
Regardless of what procedure you opt for, do your research. Check to see reviews and other information on your practitioner beyond their complimentary website. Although you may not be comfortable asking for recommendations, know that you are not alone. Over one million U.S. men have some type of cosmetic procedure performed every year. This is up nearly one-third in the last 20 years.
Written by John Bankston
References
- Body image, weight, and self-concept in men
- Muscle-enhancing behaviors among adolescent girls and boys
- Study of low-level laser therapy for body contouring
- Noninvasive submental fat compartment treatment
- High intensity focused electromagnetic therapy evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging: safety and efficacy study of a dual tissue effect based non-invasive abdominal body shaping
